It seems like everywhere you turn these days, you hear that someone is trying intermittent fasting. Many of these people claim to have successfully lost weight and have their health improved while trying intermittent fasting. This seems to be the hottest new fitness and health trend going viral through social media channels, as well as in fashion and fitness magazines. Let’s take a look at what intermittent fasting (IF) is and some of the science behind it. And then it is up to you to determine whether or not intermittent fasting is right for you!

What the Heck is Intermittent Fasting?

The crazy thing about intermittent fasting is that there are no set rules to go by. There are no guidelines, or books, or charts to follow. There is no “one-program-fits-all” with intermittent fasting. However, the term does describe it as a type of eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating (or feeding) and periods of fasting. The definition of fasting means to go without food, for a set period of time. People have been fasting for thousands of years, often for religious beliefs. However, recently intermittent fasting is gaining the attention of scientists and nutritionists to see if there are truly health benefits to this cycle of eating and fasting.

We may not be aware of this, but we actually do a form of fasting every day. We wake up and then eat throughout the day, then sleep for a number of hours where we are not taking in any food or drink. If you sleep for 8 hours, then you are fasting during that time. You eat and then fast – that is a very simplified version of intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting is Not a Diet

Because there are no set rules when adding intermittent fasting to your lifestyle, there can be a bit of confusion about how to even do it. If intermittent fasting is about eating and then not eating, does that mean you can fast for a period of time and then eat whatever you want? Well, not really! The idea of intermittent fasting is to give your digestion and organs a break from always working and to help boost your metabolism.

The key to intermittent fasting is the food choices you make when you are on a feeding cycle. Whether you decide to eat three square meals a day or prefer to eat smaller meals, the balance of macronutrients is essential at every meal you ingest. Just because you go without food for a period of times, does not mean that you can justify chowing down super-fatty, heavily processed foods. You will want to eat meals that are rich in vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and healthy fats. Follow the UK’s Eatwell Guide for helpful information.

What are Some of the Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?

Research has shown that by restricting calories during a set period of time, intermittent fasting, you may lose weight, as well as other health-promoting effects. Much of the research is based on factors that are influenced by our circadian rhythms (which are 24-hour light-dark cycles,) Research has shown that eating outside of normal circadian rhythms, such as late night snacking, may disrupt the energy balance and may even cause cardiometabolic disease and cancer. According to a study in the Annual Review of Nutrition, even small periods of fasting, 8 hours or so, can reduce basal concentrations of metabolic biomarkers associated with chronic disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity greatly increases the risk of metabolic diseases such as coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. By restricting calories for several hours per day, or by fasting for 24 hours every other day, your overall caloric intake will be reduced and as a result, you may experience weight loss. Obtaining a healthy weight for your body type and lifestyle through intermittent fasting may help to reduce your chances of obtaining one of these life-threatening chronic diseases.

What are Some of the Popular Intermittent Fasting Regimes?

In general, intermittent fasting refers to fasting times that range from 14-18 hours and in the context of intermittent fasting, should not exceed 36 hours. Here are a few of the popular fasting/eating cycles.

Time-Restricted Eating

Basically, with this simple formula, you have a fasting period of 12-16 hours, and then eat as many healthy foods as you want during the eating window. So, if you finish dinner at 7:00 pm then you don’t eat again until 7:00 am. Most of us do this anyway! You can extend the fasting window by finishing dinner earlier and having breakfast later. This is a good way to step into the world of intermittent fasting as you may not feel as hungry as more advanced forms of fasting.

16:8

You fast for 16 hours per day and eat during the eight hour time window. This time reference is gaining popularity with athletes and celebrities. A study from the University of Illinois at Chicago and published in the Journal of Nutrition and Healthy Aging showed that this type of IF had a good success rate with the study subjects able to adhere to this type of eating/fasting cycle for long periods of time.

5:2

With this eating/fasting pattern, you take two days a week with restricted caloric intake, usually between 500-600 calories per day. During normal eating days, eat as you normally would and on fast days, make very wise choices of where those 500 calories are coming from and how they can help benefit during this time.

Eat Stop Eat

This is similar to the 5:2 regime, yet on fasting days, you only consume non-caloric liquids.

Alternate Day Fasting

This is a fasting type that must have a doctor approval and is best left to those who are experienced in fasting. Basically, you fast for 24 hours one day and then eat normally on the next day. Some followers of ADF consume zero calories, while others allow for minimal intake of 25% of whatever your normal daily intake would be. If you normally eat 2,000 healthy calories per day, then every other day you would eat zero calories or only 500.

One of the beautiful things about any of these intermittent fasting programs is that you don’t have to do any math, count calories, or figure out which food is restricted or not. You eat healthily and then you fast! It is pretty simple!

Isagenix Cleansing Systems are the Perfect Choice for Intermittent Fasting

First, Isagenix promotes safe and healthy weight loss while maintaining lean body mass, and second, continued adherence to Isagenix weight loss tools can help one maintain that weight loss long term.

Following an Isagenix Cleansing System may be one of the best ways to bring IF into your life. With the 30-day cleansing system, you eat healthy with a set number of calories 6 days per week, and then you fast or cleanse for 24 hours while drinking the ultra-nourishing Cleanse for Life juice. The juice is nutrient-dense and provides important nutrients while only supplying about 500 calories. On the 9-day cleansing system, you eat for two days then cleanse for two days. This is a fast-track way to getting the benefits of the Isagenix Cleansing System when you may not be able to commit to the 30-day cleanse.

The beauty of Isagenix is the scientifically formulated products that help you to lose weight and cleanse your system. The high-quality protein shakes are made with denatured whey protein or for the dairy-free version, pea protein. The Cleanse for Life juice is filled with nutrients that help to support your system while on a calorie restricted eating plan. For more information on the Isagenix Cleansing Systems, please read more here.

However you choose to try intermittent fasting, always check with your doctor first, especially if you have any existing health conditions. And, keep in mind, it is not necessarily about how much you eat, but what you eat and when you eat! Be conscious and mindful of what you are eating and enjoy the benefits of intermittent fasting.

Would you like to learn how to harvest your own tasty and nutritious seaweeds along the rocky coast of the UK? With a bit of knowledge and a few tools, you can make an outing to the shore productive by gathering your own healthy sea vegetables!

People have been harvesting and eating seaweeds for hundreds of years. People living in Ireland and other UK Islands were eating seaweed way before it became fashionable in high-end sushi bars. Here are a few recipes of Irish inspired cooking using seaweed. Today, we mostly eat seaweed when we consume sushi or seaweed salads. There are many ways to eat seaweeds and you will receive many amazing health benefits in consuming them. Plus, they are so delicious!

What is Seaweed?

Seaweed is actually considered a type of marine algae. It is a non-flowering plant that is called a thallophyte. Marine algae and fungi are the only two types of thallophytes. Seaweeds are classified into three categories based on their color pigmentation and these colours represent where they grow in the tidal zone.  These are the three categories:

Brown Algae: Brown algae (class Phaeophyceae) grow in deeper waters – the less sunlight there is, the darker their color is. They tend to grow large and are often found clustered together. There are about 1,800 different species of brown seaweeds, and most of know what kelp is, the most common of brown seaweeds. Kelp is usually found dried or in powder form and make great additions and toppings for rice bowls, salads, and soups.

Red Algae: Red algae (class Rhodophyta) are the most diverse and have over 6,500 species. Red seaweeds grow along the lower shoreline. Red seaweeds that we are familiar with are nori and dulse. Nori is used in making sushi rolls and is also delicious added to miso soup, or just for snacking on. Dulse is perfect to add to soups and chowder.

Green Algae: Green algae (class Chlorophyta) are beautiful, delicate seaweeds that love sunlight and can be found growing along the upper shoreline and along the rocky edge. There are approximately 1,500 species available, with sea lettuce the most common. Sea lettuce is very light tasting and is perfect add raw in seaweed salads.

How Healthy is Seaweed?

Of course, all of these wonderful and magical sea vegetables are incredibly nutritious and are considered a superfood. They are high in iron, protein, vitamins and minerals, and dietary fiber. And they have the most amazing flavours!

Seaweeds are loaded with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and are high in fibre. They contain Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K as well as omega-3 fatty acids and essential amino acids. Seaweeds are true superfoods! Because they are so nutrient-dense, eating seaweeds can help to flush out environmental toxins that have built up in your body. They contain alginate which has binding properties and can help to pass heavy metals and toxins from the system.

Seaweeds are helpful in digestion. They help to release digestive enzymes and help to facilitate the metabolism of fats and can be helpful in weight loss, and because they contain large amounts of magnesium, they have a gentle laxative effect. If you find yourself needing a little extra help – try IsaMove from Isagenix. This product has magnesium which helps to supports electrolyte balance, protein synthesis, and protein creation in the body. Sea vegetables contain so many minerals, all 56 along with trace elements, and actually, have more than land plants.

How Do I Harvest Wild Seaweed?

With a few tools, a tide chart, and some knowledge of your area, harvesting seaweed is actually quite simple. First though – always think safety!! You will need really good shoes or waterproof boots with excellent traction for walking on slippery rocks. Wearing a wetsuit in cold waters that surround the UK is highly advisable. Never go harvesting alone and always have a first aid kit on hand, you could slip and fall or cut yourself. Harvest smartly! Make sure the area where you are gathering seaweed from is in non-polluted waters and well away from towns, homes, and industrial areas.

Grab a good pair of scissors and a sharp knife and harvest at low tide. This is where you must have a tide chart!  Never harvest seaweeds that are just lying around the beach, you need to harvest healthy live ones. Cut the plants that are held on the rocks, and only cut about the top third, leave the rest. If you are harvesting several varieties, you may want separate bags and bucket to keep them separated in.  And please harvest sustainably, pick a little here and a little there. Never harvest during the plants reproductive cycle – you want them to continue to grow! Each species varies, but in general, harvest in the late summer and fall.

Rinse the sand out of the seaweed and when you get home, give them a rinse with fresh water. Then, hang the strands to dry in the sun. This should not take very long, depending on the weather. Once they are dry, seal them an airtight container and store in a cool, dry location.

Seaweeds have been gracing our shoreline and oceans for thousands of years. They are an integral part of the eco-system and can help to keep our oceans and our bodies healthy. Harvest with respect to Mother Ocean and enjoy the many benefits that sea vegetables bring to us!

Environmental toxins are everywhere. At home, at school, in the workplace, and in the outside air we breathe, making virtually anyone vulnerable to their health risks. The more society relies on industrialism, the worse the problem becomes, affecting everything from marine ecosystems to our water supply. Scientists have even found as many as 300 man-made chemicals in the human body, some of which may cause infertility, genetic mutations, and even possibly cancer.

The Problem with Today’s Chemical Risks

Our exposure to environmental toxins today is greater than it was a century ago before the world relied on vehicles, factories, and man-made chemicals to function. Much of the food we eat comes from plants with processing techniques that place harmful additives into food for preservation and flavouring. Even food grown on farms isn’t exempt from toxins that occur in pesticides and growing treatments. You can even find harmful toxins in your makeup and skin care products.

One of the most concerning issues with environmental toxins is the link to cancer. Some researchers have blamed a modern lifestyle, which includes heavy exposure to environmental toxins, for causing 90% of cancers. The ability of harmful toxins to change DNA may be a contributing factor to the rise in cancer diagnoses over the past several decades.

Equally concerning is the role toxins may play in pregnancies and unborn babies, causing miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe congenital disabilities. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) found that higher levels of prenatal exposure to harmful toxins in the environment may lead to severe adverse health impacts on both mom and baby, and could even affect a mother’s ability to become pregnant in the future.

Common Sources of Toxins in the Environment

Where do these toxins come from? Here are just a few of the most common ways you can become exposed to these harmful chemicals:

Food

From additives to pesticides, even the food we eat isn’t safe from chemicals – and some foods may be doing more to harm your body than to nourish it. Many food additives, like unnecessary dyes and preservatives, are man-made compounds added to food to enhance their look, flavour, or texture, or keep them “fresh” for longer. Farmers that produce non-organic crops and meats may treat crops with pesticides or feed animals antibiotics to encourage optimal growth.

Plastics

You’ve likely heard of BPA, a chemical found in plastics that has received a lot of negative press in recent years. That’s because BPA has been dubbed one of the most harmful – and yet familiar – toxins found in humans, with its ability to leach into liquid or food in plastic containers. In fact, one study found traces of BPA in almost all urine specimens of the study’s 2,517 U.S. participants, concluding that most people in the country have been exposed to the toxin at some point.

Personal Care Products

Many cosmetics and personal care products, like deodorant, nail polish, and sunscreen, may contain harmful toxins that can enter the bloodstream through the skin. Some toothpaste brands have even included toxins, like triclosan, which some experts believe may lead to cancer and infertility.

Cleaning Products

Some of the most common exposures to toxins come from the products we use to make our homes clean, like air fresheners and floor cleaners. Many home cleaning products can contain man-made chemicals that affect indoor air quality and can leach onto furniture, walls, and carpets. These toxic substances may cause health problems such as hormonal changes and developmental delays in children.

Reducing Harmful Exposure

What can you do to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins? It’s difficult to avoid toxins in your everyday life entirely, so it’s important to do what you can for your own body to increase its ability to withstand toxins.

Then, focus on your overall health, which can increase your body’s ability to detoxify itself. Keeping yourself fit is important. Get a good night’s sleep and ward off stress as much as possible to keep your immune system in top shape to fight toxins.